Once Bitten, Twice Shy
by ShadowedKoi
Summary: Kamiya Kaoru is a well renowned veternarian who never once believed in the supernatural... That is, until she is thrown into the middle of a feud from another world unseen by most humans. Just how far is she willing to go to save a bunch of wolves?
1. Prologue

**Once Bitten, Twice Shy  
_Prologue_**

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The room was small, but it was all that could be afforded at the time. The wind outside picked up, shaking the precarious shelter while slipping in through the cracks under the door and windows, chilling the room. In a corner a short candle wick fought against the drafts, flickering weakly. It barely produced enough light to illuminate its surroundings or the two occupants within the small dwelling.

There was a rattling intake of breath before it was released in sharp, pronounced coughs. One of the still figures now moved, bending over to press closer to the one who laid very still on the dirt floor. He tucked in the feeble blanket around the shoulders of the person it covered: a woman.

Her face was pale and skin was pulled tightly across her cheekbones, showing her poor state of health. Dark hair lay out around her head in a pool of muted ebony, the only cushion offered against the hard ground. Eyes, once having been known for holding an alluring fire were dulled with the pain of the sickness she now bore. Years of illness had almost completely stripped her of any attribute that had once earned her the hearts of several men. As her beauty faded over time, so did her suitors' interests.

That is, all besides his.

He moved slowly, lines of concern forming between his brows as he lay down beside her. He watched, helpless as another shiver raced through her body. He continued watching even when she pitched herself upward into a sitting position, coughing up smalls amounts of the substance that was ailing her. Exhausted, she began to lay back down with his assistance. Once he was sure that she wasn't about to go into another fit of coughs, he moved closer yet, pulling her into his side to offer her his heat.

She stirred, seeming to turn into his side, but then giving up all together from a lack of energy. Tears stung his eyes as he watched her. The worry that had been eating away at him for some months now was growing exponentially as she remained still, breathing in light puffs. Instinct was demanding that he act, reach out and do what he could for her. Yet, his mind was whispering the dreadful truth: it was far too late. She would not live much longer.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled her in as tightly to his side as he could while minding her physical state. The tears that had been content to just form now trailed down his cheeks in cold, traitorous paths. Feeling compelled to speak he dipped his head to where her ear was so she could hear him above the raging storm outside.

"I have failed you."

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**Next chapter will be longer.**

**Luv,**

**K**


	2. Chapter 1

**Once Bitten, Twice Shy  
_Chapter 1_**

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Cool and crisp, the air rushed through the tops of the trees, littering the ground with the brightly colored leaves of fall. Carefully, so as not to alert any other animal of its presence, a wolf slinked across the ground, feet lightly placed. Triangular ear swiveled at a rustle in the foliage to his side, nose lifting into the air to catch a scent. Once assured there was no threat, the wolf continued forward to stalk his meal of choice.

The wolf's gaze was locked onto a small burrow in the ground no five feet in front of him. Inside was his meal of choice. Earlier an adult rabbit had darted inside, its protruding ribs suggesting an easy kill for the wolf. Now, it was just a matter of catching him unaware.

There was a brief moment where the hare's scent intensified, giving the wolf a split second's notice before a streak of brown shot out from the hole. In one strong push, the wolf was off the ground and on its feet, trailing behind the frantic rabbit. Lunging, teeth bared, the wolf latched onto the hare and stopped its attempted escape in matter of seconds. The kill was made quickly.

The wolf was beginning to lap up the rabbit's blood that had begun to pool out onto the ground when a shift in the wind brought an unwelcome scent to the wolf's sensitive nose. Growling, the wolf turned away from his fresh kill and ran in the opposite direction from where the new smell came.

(-)

Kaoru stomped down the urge to throw her camera at someone or something. As satisfying as it would be to simply demolish it, she opted to save herself the heartache in buying a new camera.

Three times. Three times they managed to find tracks of the wolf and all three times it somehow escaped before they arrived at its projected location. Scowling, she walked around the small clearing, absently kicking at rocks as she headed toward her parked vehicle.

Wolves were notorious for having excellent hearing and a great sense of smell, but this little game of cat and mouse they were playing was getting tiring. All that was needed was a picture. If they were lucky, perhaps tag the creature. However, in order for those events to take place, Kaoru had to first find the animal. It was always long gone before Kaoru and her team stumbled upon its estimated location, making it a much more difficult job than all the other wolves she had tracked in the past. It was by far the smartest she had ever encountered. Intriguing, but none the less a nuisance.

The clearing was devoid of anything spectacular besides a dead rabbit just freshly killed. Kaoru let out a tired sigh as reached the car she arrived in. Pulling open the passenger door with a little more strength than was necessary, she climbed into the warm cab. In hopes of keeping her mind off the ever evasive wolf, Kaoru began to clean every nook and cranny of her ancient camera. It wasn't long before her long time friend and colleague hopped into the driver's seat.

"No luck." The other, slightly younger woman said somberly. "All he left was that dead rabbit." She leaned forward, pressing her head into the firm steering wheel. "The tracks end here! We have no clue which direction he went in!" Lifting her head up, she made a sweeping motion of the area outside.

Making sure to give an appropriate sympathetic sound, Kaoru continued to clean her camera, quite used to her friend's dramatics. "Maybe next time we'll catch him, Misao." She offered, though she doubted that they would ever be given such an opportunity. This wolf was different from the rest. Every couple of days or so he would seemingly drop off the face of the Earth and then traces of him would be found the very next week.

Kaoru brushed some raven bangs out of her eyes before peering into the camera's viewfinder to check for any spots she missed while cleaning. Although it was unfortunate for Misao that this particular wolf was difficult to find, Kaoru didn't feel the need to worry. Even if Misao's job was on the line, as she claimed, Kaoru held the utmost confidence in this team's abilities. It was only a matter of time before they caught up to the wolf and Kaoru planned on being there, taking amazing pictures.

Misao groaned, letting her head fall onto the steering wheel again with a solid thump. "Why is boss-man so obsessed with a stupid dog?" She whined, her voice occupying a pitch that should not have been humanly possible.

"Kaoru! Misao!"

Both women turned in time to see a tall, lean man run up to the driver's side of their vehicle with a huge smile on his face. Misao quickly rolled down her window, letting in some of the autumn cool air. Kaoru shivered and made a signal for him to speak. Quickly.

"We found a track no more than a mile from here." He was grinning madly, the excitement showing in his brown eyes. "The trackers estimate that he's heading toward the river."

Kaoru lifted an eyebrow. "The one Northeast of here?"

The towering man nodded his head excitedly. "The others decided to wait and see if they found other tracks before we came and told you." He paused as a rather boyish grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I know you two aren't the sort that sits around idly, though."

Kaoru stared at her camera silently for a moment before looking up and asking, "How fresh are the tracks?"

"Just minutes old."

She nodded her head and moved to open the passenger door. "We will go on foot." Kaoru stated as she stepped out of the care while looping her camera's strap over her shoulder. "Our vehicles may be fast, but he can hear them before we are anywhere near his vicinity." Glancing up at the sway of the trees, she felt hope swell in her chest when she noticed he would be up wind from them and wouldn't be able to catch their scents very easily. Silence followed her statement. Kaoru turned back around to look at her comrades. "What?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.

Misao gave a sheepish grin before replying. "Um… I didn't wear my hiking boots, Kao." She stated simply, using Kaoru's loathed nickname in hopes of lightening the situation.

"Nice." Kaoru felt her eyes rolling before she could stop them. She faced the man. "What's your excuse, Sanosuke?"

His back straightened slightly, uncomfortable no that Kaoru's attention was directed solely on him. "I… Uh… Well, Megumi wanted me home by five."

Kaoru's eyes flicked down to her wristwatch. "It's three. We should have more than enough time to get there and get a picture. What's the problem? She asked pointedly, daring him to try and weasel his way around her logic.

Sanosuke lowered his head, avoiding eye contact. His embarrassment was evident by the small blush that crept across his cheeks. "She doesn't want me to go out into the forest at this time of night." He raised his voice a bit more when he saw Misao start to snicker. "You don't know how many times she's given me lectures on vicious animal attacks…" He said, trying to defend his pride.

Fully aware of the effects Megumi's little mind games could have on someone, Kaoru sighed and waved her hand dismissively. "Fine. I'll go by myself." She said before stepping into the line of shade cast by the forest.

"Jou-chan!" Sano's voice stopped her short of fully stepping into the tree line. "Let's just wait to get it tomorrow." He suggested.

Ignoring him completely, Kaoru ducked under some branches, climbing into the darkness. "Call in a search party if I'm not back within three hours!" She shouted over her shoulder as she headed in the direction she prayed the wolf was still in. She was going to get a picture of that wolf come Hell or high water.

Twigs snapped underneath Kaoru's boots as she moved swiftly in between trees and logs, almost running to the location of her wolf. She'd stop every so often to check the small compass she had in her pocket, making sure she was headed in the right direction. Minutes flew by, and Kaoru didn't have to look down at her watch to know that she had been in the forest for more than an hour. With her intended destination quickly approaching, Kaoru began to become restless. As she climbed over yet another fallen tree, a howl to her distant left pierced through the quiet peace of the forest.

Turning her head in the direction she estimated the howl had originated from, she let out a small chuckle. '_That was too perfect. Almost exactly like it is in the movies…_' she caught herself thinking right before her toe caught the jutting end of the root of a tree, sending her lurching forward to hit the ground shoulder first.

Kaoru felt the wind get knocked out of her before her shoulder began to throb mercilessly, which elicited a sharp, pained gasp. She let out a small moan, not moving on the ground. "What luck…" she growled before pushing herself up with the arm that protested the least when she moved it, gasping in pain as began to stand. She looked down and winced. Her knees were pretty torn up, the full extent of damage done was covered by what was left of her now bloody jeans.

With the intent of cataloging all the injuries she had just sustained, Kaoru moved towards the large roots she had just tripped on. She both and heard something crunch beneath her boot as she took a step. Lifting her foot up tentatively, Kaoru sighed at the poor sight below her. Her compass, her main method of retracing her steps was completely destroyed. She frowned. "You sure know how to make the worst out of a fall, Kamiya," she berated herself while limping the rest of the distance toward the tree.

Slowly she reached down and unlaced her boots and used her feet to them off one at a time. Then, cringing as some of her clothes stuck to a few of her cuts, Kaoru began to pull down her pants, not entirely surprised by the bloody mess that had been hidden beneath. Her compass, completely ruined now, had ever so thoughtfully sent one lone glass shard into the tender flesh of her hip. How she hadn't felt it while she had been getting up or was bending over to undo her boots was beyond Kaoru. Clamping her mouth shut, she pulled out the bloodied glass, flinging it away from her with a disgusted look. Pain worked quickly to replace the glass.

"Ouch." Kaoru grit her teeth, kicking off the rest of her pants as gently as possible. Various cuts, scrapes, and forming bruises marked up her legs. Her left leg was much worse than the right as it had been the side she fell on. "No compass, no friends…." She listed, her mood souring as the shadows of the forest seemed to grow thicker by the second. "No light," she snapped, blue eyes sparking in fury at the roots she currently was sitting on. "I blame my situation on you. Entirely," she growled, leaning over to pick up her fallen jeans, pulling them on and valiantly trying to ignore the pain the motion brought.

Just as Kaoru had buttoned on her jeans and was getting up off the tree, a loud, angry growl sounded directly behind her. She stilled, stomach falling to her feet. She didn't dare turn around, afraid that she would see the wolf's white teeth just before they clamped onto her throat and ended her life. Kaoru took a deep breath to calm herself. The beast let out a deep, but sharp, warning bark when she shifted her weight in preparation to run. Kaoru obliged, standing as still as she could on her injured legs.

The bushes behind her rustled as something moved through them and then all noise ceased and an eerie silence settled over the area. Closing her eyes, Kaoru sent out a small thankful prayer for whichever deity had decided to let her live another day. This was a wolf she wished to never cross paths with again if she was ever given the option.

When her eyes opened, there before her, a massive bulk of dark fur and claws sat, eyes as golden as the sun holding her navy ones captive. He was gorgeous. Kaoru felt her eyes widening in awe, her situation very nearly forgotten at the sight of him. His fur was pure ebony except for his first front paws, which were a light gray. His external beauty was only part of what held Kaoru in an awe-inspiring stupor. He radiated and air of complete confidence and total dominance over this land. The land that she had the misfortune of being on at that moment.

"Beautiful…" The word fell from her lips before she could monitor herself.

Golden eyes flashed, and the wolf stood up, baring his teeth at her. He barked once and then followed up with a low, resonating growl.

Kaoru smiled a bit nervously, and held up her palms in a placating manner. "I get it. I'm leaving." She inclined her head in the direction by she intended to leave. Slowly, ever so slowly, she inched her way from the tree, eyes locked with the wolf's. He made no further movement towards her, but if he was to jump at her, Kaoru was far enough that she might have some chance of escaping. Her hand reached out to steady herself on a tree, and Kaoru felt her odds of survival increasing exponentially.

The wolf watched silently, his growling having stopped moments after Kaoru moved away from the tree by which he had first caught her.

'_He's letting me leave!_' she thought, her eyes watering as one of her scratched knees hit the side of the tree trunk in her hasty attempt of a retreat.

His body was moving before Kaoru could even blink, forcing her backwards, making her head smash into the tree. Stars danced in her vision, floating around the wolf and moving up and down in dizzying patterns. '_Oh, geez… Let's see how many ways Kaoru can hurt herself today…_' she mentally shouted out every obscenity she knew at the wolf, momentarily forgetting about the precarious situation she was in. "What the hell was that for?" she shouted at the wolf, a hand reaching up to rub the back of her sore head.

Golden eyes stared coolly back at her.

"If you're going to kill me, can you just do it already?" Kaoru snapped, her temper flaring. "I'm so fed up of playing this game of freeze tag with you!" she snarled, pushing away from the tree, glaring as she walked past the wolf that was vocalizing his displeasure in a steady thrum of growls. "Do you know how much crap I've gone through just to find you?" she asked him, ignoring the way he tilted his head in confusion.

'_A bed would be so nice right now…_' she thought absently, picking at leaves and other objects that had stuck themselves to her shirt as she walked farther away from the wolf, once again ducking her head to avoid the occasional low branch.

The wolf ran up beside her, barking, demanding her attention.

Kaoru's patience snapped. "What do you want?" she shrieked, spinning towards the wolf. He remained silent, just observing the frazzled woman as he continued to keep his pace even with hers. "First you don't want me to move, and then you want me to leave." She knew she was growing hysterical but didn't care. She could honestly not find it in herself to remain calm like one should always do in such situations.

"What do you want, damn it?" she repeated her earlier question, shoving aside bushes as she stormed to whichever direction she was heading. Kaoru was sorely missing her compass.

The wolf paused in his trek, as if to do something, but a bright spot light fell upon both of them. Kaoru shut her eyes, trying to block out the light that only aggravated her preexisting headache. Voices shouted out from a large vehicle that was parked several yards away. Her friends. Relief flooded through Kaoru's weary body, and her knees almost gave up then and there at the thought of not spending the night in the forest trying to fend for herself. Her blue eyes flickered to where the wolf was, or rather had been. Without so much as a print the wolf had simply vanished.

"Must've ran off…" she murmured, making her way over to her waiting friends.

'_They had better have something warm in the car with them, or they would have to face a very angry, and cold, Kaoru._'

(-)

The wolf waited until he could no longer hear the humans' vehicles. Only then did he move out from the bush he took cover in. Snorting, he walked back to his camp, tongue lolling out in a wolf smile. That had been fun. Not many humans yelled at him whenever he confronted them. It was quite refreshing, actually. Then again, the female had misunderstood his barks, taking them as mixed signals. She certainly had a short temper…

Coming into the small clearing he had found earlier that week, the wolf plopped down on a worn spot of grass and closed his eyes, the female's scent tickling his memory.

Jasmine with and undertone of orchids…

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**Author's Note (07/24/10): I only just recently noticed took out my scene breaker-upper-things when I put up my stories. I am just now addressing the problem. Wewt.**

**Luv,**

**K**


	3. Chapter 2

**Once Bitten, Twice Shy  
_Chapter 2_**

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**A few years later…**

If Kaoru had known that she would receive a call from her clinic at two in the morning, she would have prepared herself some coffee ahead of time. That and have laid out an outfit so she wouldn't have to walk in with her pajamas still on. Of course, emergencies happen when nobody's expecting them.

Kaoru looked up into her rear view mirror and grimaced at her appearance. To say she looked like crap would be putting it lightly. Tired, blood shot eyes stared back at her, framed by long, unruly bangs. Her hair, having been put in a neat braid earlier that evening, was loose in waves of ebony down her back and was in need of a good rinse. Since looks were the least of her problems, Kaoru turned back to concentrating on the empty road.

Occasionally, her eyes unconsciously wandered to the side of the street. The forest to her left was dark, just as dark as it had been that adventurous night a couple of years ago. While staring at the passing trees, images of giant beasts launching themselves at her formed inside her tired mind. Her breath caught in fear as a car suddenly sped by, heading in the opposite direction, shocking her out of her dark fantasies.

'_Take a look at yourself, Doctor!_' Kaoru silently scolded herself. '_It's really late at night and you're suffering from an over active imagination._' The diagnosis put the woman at ease as she continued down the road.

Her mind drifted back to the urgent phone call she had received earlier. Although Kaoru had a vague idea of what awaited her in the clinic, she knew that it was always much worse than what her colleagues had made it sound. Past experiences could back her up on that one.

"Male wolf, estimated two hundred pounds. Bullet wound to left flank and shoulder." The words filled the silence of the car and covered the drone of the engine. "Possible internal bleeding sustained from broken rib, and severe damage to the back left leg." Kaoru repeated the words of the attendant on the phone, already going over a list of procedures she would have to run once she arrived shortly at the clinic.

A sigh of anxiousness was released when the lights of her work place came into view. Taking a right turn, Kaoru pulled into the parking lot, already working on her seat belt. The engine hadn't even died yet when an apprentice came up to the window, all but prancing in apprehension. Stepping out of the car, Kaoru lid a cool hand on the other woman's arm. "We won't achieve anything if our heads aren't in place." She smiled, tired but reassuring as she headed towards the entrance, attendant following shortly after. "How is he?" Kaoru asked, her tone neutral.

The attendant shook her head, normal brown hair whipping out in every which direction. "Not good, Doctor." She frowned. "We've managed to stop a majority of his bleeding, but he has lost most of his blood."

Stomach rolling, Kaoru pushed open the door, nearly cringing at the chipper bell that announced her presence. "Heart rate?" She inquired, grabbing her white lab coat off of its proper rack, practically sprinting back to where the rest of her team waited.

"Elevated." The attendant replied. "He's angry." She added, holding open the door for Kaoru once they finally reached the back operating room.

Men and women fluttered about the room, grabbing any and all medical supplies they could get within their reach. Medical technicians surrounded a table in the middle of the room as they struggled to hold down a fighting wolf. In the briefest of moments, wild amber eyes locked onto Kaoru's, making the veterinarian's heart clench in her chest. A small space was made for her as she stepped up to the table.

Kaoru's keen blue eyes skimmed over the wolf's writhing body. All hair around the bullet wounds had been shaved away, and cleaned as best as they could with the struggling wolf. Her examination was quick. She began with common procedures that had been left undone. "We need an x-ray of the chest and leg." A group of people rushed off when she finished her statement, heading to turn on the x-ray machines in another room. "Were there any bullets left in him?" She asked the nurses tending to the wounds. They shook their heads in negative. "Prepare some stitches." Kaoru shouted over the growling and barking of the struggling animal in front of her.

Just as she had done to the attendant earlier, Kaoru reached out and carefully laid a hand on the exposed back of the wolf. His head turned around in a flash, powerful jaws snapped at her quickly retracting fingers. The wolf's amber eyes turned back around to her. Looking into them, she calmly stated, "We are going to help you." Kaoru's eyes roamed over the room, searching for an anesthesiologist. "Let's get him to sleep!" She shouted at the one she spotted in the corner of the room trying to avoid all the chaos.

"You'll be ok." She smiled at the wolf before stepping away to let the anesthesiologist through to him. As a swarm of workers moved in to the table, the last thing Kaoru saw was a pair of amber eyes looking at her with an uncanny amount of humanity in them. It was an expression she couldn't decipher.

Once she was assured that her team had everything under control, Kaoru stormed out of the back room, face flushed in anger. Hunters. On her grounds, attacking her animals. For whatever reason, that wolf had purposely been targeted, and Kaoru vehemently swore that the people who caused its pain would see their rightful demise.

Ripping the nearest phone off its dock, Kaoru pushed the speed dial number for the main office. It rang twice before it was finally answered. A man's voice responded, gravelly from sleep. "Hello..?"

"This is Doctor Kamiya, stationed at mile marker number 253." Kaoru launched into the formalities without preamble.

"What can I do for you, Doctor?" The person on the other end seemed to be awakened just a bit more from her venomous tone.

"I would like to call in a search for possible hunters within my clinic's covered area." She bit off, anger reaching out in her voice. "A wolf was shot." She threw in after a moment of thought, her grip tightening relentlessly on the phone.

There was a moment of silence before the man spoke up again. "Yes, ma'am. We've just dispatched two officers. They should be arriving within twenty minutes."

"Thank you." Kaoru breathed into the phone.

"Not a problem. You take care, doc."

"You too." She smiled into the speaker before hanging up and putting the phone in its proper place, gently.

It was out of her hands now. The police would deal with the hunters, and hopefully, would just lock them up so they would never be able to see the light of day again. People who picked on the defenseless were the worst. Shaking her head, dark bangs tickling her forehead, Kaoru headed out to her favorite spot in the entire clinic, planning on blowing off some steam.

(-)

It was a gorgeous autumn night, something one could only see if they lived out in the true wilderness. The moon hung full in the air, suspended by an unseen master puppeteer's strings. Light caressed the tops of the trees, filtering through and extinguishing all lurking shadows. Not one thing underneath the sky was unseen by the moon tonight.

Nights like these made Kaoru forget her problems and simply bask in a euphoric feeling of life. A life seen only when it came under the light of the moon, for the sun was too overbearing for such an intricately delicate object. Her parents had often told her that even as an infant in a crib, she reached out towards the moon, shining in through her window. Friends laughed at her silly antics when she had asked them to just go out and bask in glory of the night.

"Dr. Kamiya?" A soft voice called out from behind Kaoru, her eyes never straying from the moon.

"Hm?" Her reply was almost drowsy.

A click of the door closing, then solid but quiet footsteps sounded from behind Kaoru's spot on the patio of the clinic that overlooked the lands it was built on. Warmth settled in the spot next to her as the attendant from the parking lot took a stand next to her. She was silent, just looking up at the moon as Kaoru was for a moment.

When she spoke, her voice was tired. "It's almost four, Doctor." She turned to face Kaoru who was still gazing up at the night sky. "You can go home and get some rest and return at your normal time. We have everything under control."

Kaoru's gaze turned away from the moon as the attendant laid a warm hand on her shoulder, unknowingly having drawn the veterinarian out of a self-inflicted trance. If she could, Kaoru would have left by now. She smiled, heading towards the door leading back into the warm clinic. "Can't sleep now. I'm too hyped up. I'll just go monitor him myself for a while." She waved and stepped into the heat, her face warming up almost instantly.

The shout of an intern sounded to her right from the lobby, signaling the second patient of the morning. Sighing, Kaoru put her game face on and went to face the world.

(-)

Hours later, after having been contented with three rather large cups of coffee and a decent tasting deli sandwich, Kaoru was ready for anything. Starting with her early morning visitor, the wolf. Humming a soft, almost cheerful tune, the vet headed back towards the wolf's assigned room, snatching up the clipboard that hung off his door before entering.

Head down, scanning the report, Kaoru made a beeline towards the small setup of machines beside the examining table. Plucking up the I.V. drip and holding it into the light, Kaoru sighed. "Normal." She spoke outloud.

All of the room was a sterile white except for the wolf that was the exceptional stain in the pure environment. Up until this point Kaoru never had any time to look at the wolf, other than peek at his wounds.

He was massive, a typical characteristic of the male wolves running around this area. If he had been standing on the ground beside her, his shoulders could have easily reached her upper thighs. The thing that really caught Kaoru's attention was his fur. Black and gray were the normal fur colors, but not a brown, if it was even that. The tips were dark, but lightened, as they got closer to the roots. It was genetic perfection.

Getting over her appreciation, Kaoru pulled her stethoscope from around her neck and plugged it into her ears. She walked up to the table and placed the cool metal to the chest of the giant beast in hopes of getting a strong heartbeat. All she got was a murderous growl. Apparently, her patient was awake.

Calmly, the vet pulled the stethoscope from her ears and flopped the instrument over her shoulder in a relaxed manner. Her blue eyes, filled with nothing but serenity turned to the wolf's angry golden ones. She spoke softly. "My name is Kaoru Kamiya." Her eyes never wavered as the wolf paused momentarily in his thunderous threat "You're in my clinic to be treated for our injuries." Her head dipped, motioning towards the soft cast on his back leg. She made a sympathetic expression before continuing. "Unfortunately, you'll have to stay in our rehabilitation center until it fully heals."

Lowering his head to the table, the wolf glared mutinously at her, golden eyes burning a quiet fury. He didn't trust her.

Kaoru felt a small smile tug at the corners of her mouth. "Don't trust me much, little one?" Her smile widened when the wolf seemed to snort in indignation at the small endearment. "I'm just the vet." She held up placating hands for her own amusement, sure the gesture was lost to the animal. Chuckling, she turned around and used a countertop to record the time he had awoken. "Save that anger for the one who injured you."

The wolf barked once before becoming silent again.

Sighing, she shook her head, another small smile sticking to her lips. "'Respect the forest in hopes that it will respect you.'" She repeated her father's words to herself, turning a mischievous glance in the wolf's direction. "Much good that will do me with you." She laughed, mainly at her own foolishness.

Eyes weary, the wolf silently watched Kaoru, cautious at the unfamiliar behavior.

The scribbling of notes filled the silence of the room before Kaoru finally decided to speak again. "I need to check your wounds again." She stated softly. The wolf closed his eyes tiredly, not moving when Kaoru stood to his side. She checked his teeth, eyes, ears, paws, and broken leg. Satisfied not to find any other hidden wound, Kaoru turned around, intending to take her notes and leave.

As she began to pull away the wolf nudged one of her retreating hands and gave it a small lick. Kaoru turned around, her eyes wide. Was that an approval? The small thumping of the wolf's tail would have said so. Giving him a quick pat on the head, Kaoru left, feeling that not all of her morning had been wasted.

(-)

Of all the things she had to have been stuck with, it had to be a large amount of paperwork. The fact that it was also a little later than Kaoru would have liked only irked her even more. If she listened carefully, she could hear the nighttime staff entering the kennels to check up on the animals in the back. Would her wolf be looked after? The thought had her pausing only to shake her head dismissively and turn back to the task at hand. Reports.

Tying her long raven hair into a loose ponytail at the base of her neck, Kaoru picked up the closest stack and plopped it down in front of her, determined to get it over with. That is, until a small body crashed into her side, sending the young woman flying out of her chair sideways, and into a heap between the wall and her office desk.

"Kaoru!" A voice howled playfully, marine eyes popping into the shocked vet's view.

"Misao?" She asked softly. Was she suffering from a concussion?

"Yes?" The mirth filled eyes replied.

"You have till the count of one to get off me." The threat rolled off Kaoru's tongue easily.

The smaller woman sighed and pouted. "You're no fun." She grumped, grudgingly getting up to offer a hand to her ruffled friend. "I just came by to say hi."

With the help of Misao, Kaoru stood up and quickly began to fix her blouse that had been disarrayed at the little circus stunt Misao had pulled. "Does that mean you have to bowl me over in the process?" She asked testily, shooting the other occupant of the room a nasty glare. "If so, I'm afraid I'll have to ban you from my work place, Weasel."

Misao's urge to jump up and down in protest was strong, but she settled for an awkward sigh of sorts. Kaoru could be such a party pooper. "I actually came to let you know I have a new assignment!" The end of her sentence had her regenerating another smile.

Scowling over a particularly poor written report, Kaoru trudged dutifully through her work, opting to ignore Misao's bait.

"Kaoruuu…" Misao drew out the name in hopes to gain her friend's attention. "I have another assignment!" She huffed, childishly puffing out her cheeks when she was given a quick glance before being promptly ignored again.

Misao sat down on the desk, in turn knocking off some of the stacked folders onto the floor. She produced a camera from out of nowhere and held it tauntingly in front of Kaoru's face. "You might like it, Kao."

Kaoru's grip on her pen tightened as she heard the tell tale rustling of papers as they fluttered to the ground. "Am I supposed to say yes now that you've pretty much undone all my work?" She snapped, voice sweetly poisonous.

"I'll help you pick them up." The hidden apology was in there, and Misao examined her camera thoughtfully waiting for a response to her previous offer. "Well?" She asked after awhile of silent paper shuffling.

"Sorry, Misao." Kaoru sighed, reclining back in her chair, her eyes closed. "Not tonight."

"Awww… Why not?" Misao couldn't mask her true disappointment at being turned down. Kaoru had always loved going on the assignments with her, and it had made her job that much more bearable.

Opening her eyes of blue thunder, Kaoru nodded towards the one high window in her office where the light of the full moon shone through. "Just a superstition." She laughed, leaning forward to get started on her work. She really needed to be getting home soon…

Misao sat silent for a minute, almost tense before she burst out laughing. The petite woman pointed a quizzical finger at the vet glaring at her from across the desk. "Afraid of the big bad wolf?" She asked, gales of laughter making her clutch her sides.

Kaoru felt a small laugh come up from her own chest. "Never." She replied with a playful wink.

(-)

Misao went through the act of getting into her car and starting it, but waited patiently, watching Kaoru pulled out of the clinic's parking lot. Yanking the keys from the ignition, Misao got out of her car and went around the back of the clinic, pulling out a small key Kaoru had given her 'in case of emergencies'.

The door opened without any problems. Now all she had to do was find the room. Lifting her head up, Misao sniffed the air gently, seeking one special occupant of the building. Smirking, she walked down the hall towards the room that held the person she wanted to talk to. Her steps were calculated and sure, not of the person who had been here but half an hour ago.

As Misao pulled open the door the wolf that had been lying in the corner of jerked his head up, aware of her presence. "Hey." The word was empty.

The wolf stood up, taking in a deep breath before sitting back down again as if shocked. Misao watched in amusement as the golden eyes grew lighter in surprise. Of course he hadn't been expecting her. Nobody knew she was in the area, much less alive.

"Weren't expecting me?" She asked, leaning coolly against the farthest wall from the wolf. She smiled dully, frowning when the male wolf got up and started to head in her direction, his tail wagging.

Her voice cut through the darkness, stern and held a secretive determination in it that had the wolf pausing. "Don't get too excited." The room filled with tension, Misao watching the wolf disdainfully as he stared back up at her, confused. She spoke again, deciding it would better to get her visit over with. "I'm here to give you a warning."

The wolf sat down again, listening with patient but guarded eyes of gold.

"Don't hurt Kaoru."

If this had been any other situation, the woman would have laughed at the tilt of the wolf's head. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. This was no laughing matter. "She doesn't know." She spoke softly. "About us." She added after the wolf leveled her with a thick golden stare.

He barked suddenly, waking up some of the other animals of the clinic who began to whine loudly in complaint.

They were ignored as Misao continued to stare unwaveringly into the wolf's fathomless eyes, her own widening in disbelief. "What?"

He nodded his head, his eyes were entirely too amused for Misao's liking. "Stay away from her!" Misao let out an inhuman growl, eyes flashing silver in the moonlight of the room. She spun on her heels, jerking open the door. She sent a glare over her shoulder at the still wolf. "Don't think I won't come after you if you try anything." She let out one small warning growl before leaving the wolf to himself in the clinic.

(-)

Kaoru sighed in contentment as she got into her bed, hair still damp from her shower. What an exhausting day that had been. And she had two more like it coming up before she got to the weekend. Grumbling about hiring more attendants to run the place, Kaoru reached up and tugged on the string of the lamp. Darkness settled over the room, and the warmth of the covers soon pulled Kaoru into an irresistible sleep.

Somewhere in the night, a lone wolf called out to the world.

* * *

**Author's Note (7/24/10): I can't remember if I posted this before and just took it off… Or never posted it. Sorry, either way.**

**Luv,**

**K**


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